Italian researchers, using a new X-ray technique, attempted to date the material of the Holy Shroud of Jesus.
New scientific data date the Holy Shroud in Turin to the time of Jesus, substantiating the hypothesis that it is possibly authentic.
Specifically, Italian researchers used a new technique involving X-rays to date the material of the Shroud and confirmed that it was created around the time of Jesus, approximately 2,000 years ago.
What we know so far about the Holy Shroud
The Shroud of Turin, or Holy Shroud, is a piece of linen cloth on which the image of a bearded man is imprinted, and its placement on the cloth is believed to correspond to a body that has been crucified and injured.
It has been a source of controversy between the religious and scientific communities for many years, as it is claimed to be the burial cloth in which the body of Jesus Christ was laid after his removal from the Cross, while some scientific studies suggest it is merely a human artifact.
The Shroud is a yellowish linen cloth, measuring 4.3 meters in length and 1.1 meters in width, which has been kept in the cathedral of Turin since 1578. It is woven in a herringbone pattern from flax fibers, materials that were used during the time of Jesus Christ. Until recently, scientists dated it to the medieval period.
New data place the Shroud chronologically in the time of Christ
In 1988, an international team of researchers analyzed a small part of the Shroud using carbon dating method, which indicated that the shroud was likely created sometime between 1260 and 1390 AD. They conducted a detailed radiocarbon dating in three different laboratories and concluded that the linen was woven in the Middle Ages.
Following a recent study by Italian scientists, the fact is taken seriously that the preservation conditions of the fabric may distort the reliability of the results obtained from radiocarbon examination.
Specifically, Italian researchers, using a new X-ray technique, attempted to date the material, concluding that it was indeed created during the time that Jesus lived, about 2,000 years ago.
For the new study, scientists from the Italian Institute of Crystallography of the National Research Council employed wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) technique. This technique calculates the physical effect of time on the cellulose of flax, estimating its production date.
The team examined with X-rays six small samples from the fabric of the Turin Shroud, aiming to discover small details of the structure of the linen and the patterns of cellulose. Cellulose consists of long chains of glucose molecules, which break down over time, indicating the age of a garment.
For the dating of the Shroud, the team utilized certain parameters of age, including temperature and humidity, which cause significant breakdown of cellulose.
Additionally, the team compared the shroud with samples of other linens that were woven between 1260 and 1390 AD, finding no correspondence whatsoever.
The lead author of the study, Liberato De Caro, explained in a statement that the 1988 study should logically be deemed erroneous, because “in general, samples from fabrics are subject to every form of contamination, which cannot be entirely removed from the dating sample.” “If thorough cleaning of the sample has not been priorly conducted, radiocarbon dating is not reliable,” he notes.
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